The present invention relates generally to computer apparatus, and more particularly relates to apparatus for operatively mounting a printed circuit board within a computer housing.
The operative mounting of a printed circuit board within a computer housing, and the EMI/RFI grounding of the installed board within the housing, is conventionally achieved by removably securing the board to a wall portion of the housing using a series of screws extended through the board into thickened boss portions of the housing wall. The housing wall to which the circuit board is removably secured is typically coated with an electrically conductive material which functions as an extension of the circuit board ground plane to thereby shield the circuit board and inhibit the emission of EMI/RFI radiation from the circuit board outwardly through the computer housing.
While the use of screws to removably mount the circuit board on and ground it to the coated housing wall portion is a simple and rather straightforward method of mounting and grounding the circuit board, it also has the undesirable characteristics of being a rather time-consuming, labor intensive task (both in mounting and later removing the circuit board), and presenting the opportunity of dropping one or more or the mounting screws into inaccessible interior regions of the computer. Because of this, it would be desirable to provide improved apparatus for operatively securing and grounding a printed circuit board on the interior side of a computer housing without the above-mentioned problems associated with the conventional use of mounting screws. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide such improved apparatus.